


Early Sunsets

by orphan_account



Series: Late Dawns [2]
Category: Good Charlotte, My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-26
Updated: 2012-04-26
Packaged: 2017-11-04 09:20:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/392241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hey were silent for a few minutes before Mikey spoke up again.  "Frankie?"<br/>"Yeah?" Frank whispered.<br/>"Happy birthday."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Early Sunsets

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to [Late Dawns](http://archiveofourown.org/works/280466)

Frank woke with a start, sitting up, sweat dripping down his back, his hair soaked. He panted, eyes flitting around the dark room.  
"Frankie?" A voice called in the dark.

Frank shook his head, closing his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, before rubbing at his face, cold and wet.  
"I'm okay Mikes..." He said in a whispered voice.

There was a dip on his army camp bed, the feeling of arms wrapping around his waist.  
"Nightmare?" Mikey yawned, resting his chin on Frank's shoulder.  
Frank gave a small nod, his heart racing in his chest. "Just dreams."  
Mikey made an affirmative noise, before he pulled back, shifting around on the small camp bed to fit both their bodies.

"What was it this time?" Mikey whispered, his nose digging into Frank's shoulder.  
"Nothing," Frank lied, the memory of black eyes to match black hair fading behind his eyelids. "Nothing important."

Mikey breathed out loudly, tightening his grip on his best friend.  
"Just go back to sleep, Frank," he yawned, his breathing slowing down.

"Yeah," Frank whispered, eyes closing, one hand resting on Mikey's.  
They were silent for a few minutes before Mikey spoke up again. "Frankie?"

"Yeah?" Frank whispered.

"Happy birthday."

-

Frank gave a groan when he entered the mess tent, eyes falling on the two tier cake sat on his usual breakfast table.  
The cheshire grins on the faces of his friends made his stomach twist guiltily.

"Happy birthday short ass!" Benji boomed, pulling Frank into a bone crunching hug that lifted Frank a few inches off the ground.  
"Fucking...short ass..." Frank was muttering before the other Madden twin grabbed him into an embrace.

Mikey was sat behind the table, his face expressionless as he watched each of thier group wish Frank happy returns. Ray was hovering beside him, face caught between a smile and a cautious glance, looking between Frank and Mikey.

When Brian appeared behind Frank, slapping him on the back, Ray seemed to relax a little.  
"Come on you little shit," Brian smirked, pushing Frank into a chair. "Ray worked his ass off on this fucking cake."  
Frank gave Ray a small smile, before his stomach lurched at number shaped candles on the top tier.

Frank let out a breath. "Eighteen."  
Brian gripped his shoulder. "Make a wish."

Frank looked over at Mikey, eyes still watching Frank, before he leaned forward, taking a deep breath, wishing for the one thing he'd been wishing for, for almost two years, before he blew out the two little flames.

Their small group cheered, before Benji and Joel began to argue over who got which piece, which of course resulted in a small scuffle on the ground, ignored by their friends.

"I told you guys not to bother," Frank said as Ray began to slice the cake into pieces.  
"And we told you to shut the fuck up," Ray replied, shoving a paper plate in front of Frank.  
Frank offered him a small smile, before he looked over at Mikey.

Before he managed to open his mouth, Mikey was asking, "Are you okay?"  
Frank pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."  
Mikey stared at him for a few seconds, before nodding, and saying nothing more.

The rest of the day carried on as any normal day in the camp. Frank did his training with Brian and Benji in the adjoining field, before he spent the late afternoon with Ray in the kitchens, dishes and cutlery making enough noise to drown out his thoughts.

After dinner, Frank found Mikey sitting on a large rock by the gates of the camp.  
"Mikes?"

Mikey looked around at him, before he gave Frank a small nod, which Frank took as an indication to join him.  
"You okay?" Mikey asked, repeating his earlier question.  
Frank sighed and nodded, leaning his head down on Mikey's shoulder. "I guess."  
"Heavy, huh?"  
Frank nodded again. "Very."

They were silent for a few minutes, before Mikey spoke up again. "He'd like it here, wouldn't he?"  
Frank felt his heart still. "Mmm?"  
"Here," Mikey stretched out an arm, indicating the hills to the side of the gates. "He'd probably spend all his time painting, of course."  
Frank gave a small chuckle. "Yeah."  
"First roofs, then fucking rocks," Mikey muttered. "We'd never see him."  
"Yeah," Frank sighed against Mikey's shoulder.

"Doubt he'd wear the uniform," Mikey mused, picking at his uniform khaki t-shirt.  
"Not black enough," Frank smiled.  
"Nope."

They fell silent again, staring up at the hills, just watching.

"Do you feel different?" Mikey asked suddenly.  
Frank lifted his head, and turned to face his friend. He'd heard Mikey ask Ray, Brian and the twins the exact same question on thier birthdays.  
"Yeah," Frank admitted.  
Mikey's eyes widened slightly, the answer confusing him.  
"I feel..." Frank said. "I feel like...I shouldn't be this age. It doesn't feel right."  
Mikey bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah."

-

Frank and Mikey were walking back towards their cabin when Brian came running up to them, breathless, and tripping over his own feet.  
"You guys!" He said, slamming into Frank's side.  
"Dude, chill," Frank laughed, patting Brian's chest. "What is it?"  
Brian stared at him with wide eyes, before he said, "Skiba wants us in his tent."

Frank and Mikey paused, staring at Brian before shifting their gaze to each other.  
"Okay," Frank breathed. "Lets go."

Ray and the twins were already stood in their lieutenant's tent, staring at a roll of paper stretched out over a table which Lieutenant Matt Skiba was leaning over, a red pen in his hand circling points.  
"Sir?" Frank cleared his throat.

Skiba looked up, his face concerned, before he gave a small smile. "Happy birthday Frankie."  
"Thank you sir," Frank nodded. "You wanted to see us?"

Skiba looked at him for a few moments, before he nodded, straightening up. "We're sending you boys out."

Silence fell over the room, Frank wasn't sure anyone was even breathing.  
"Sir?" Mikey breathed.

Skiba ran a hand through his thinning hair. "We had one hundred percent positive feedback on California," he said, walking around the table to a large board with a map of the United States.  
He tapped on an area of the map Frank assumed to be California (he never was all that great with geography - fuck, if it hadn't been for Brian, they'd never have made it to Mexico). 

"It worked?" Brian asked, walking over to the table, picking up a pile of papers, making Frank roll his eyes.  
Skiba nodded. "Minus the deaths of those attacked by the Lacidites, we've had a one hundred percent recovery rate."

"Are they stable?" Benji asked, eyes wide as he looked over Brian's shoulder.  
"Looks like it," Brian replied, much to the amusement of Skiba - Frank never did understand why he let a normal soldier just take over his work. He supposed it was because it was _Brian_ \- he could give the President a run for his money when it came to taking control of a situation. Well, if the President wasn't a flesh eating zombie-creature, of course.  
"Some sickness...flu-like symptoms...some experience some pain, depending...otherwise all systems returned to normal," Brian said, a strange tone in his voice.

Frank felt a hand close around his wrist, and looked down to see Mikey's skinny fingers digging into his skin.

"Why us?" Frank asked, looking up.  
He could feel everyone looking at him, but kept his sight on his superior.

"Frank," Skiba said, leaning against the table. "I'm sending you to Jersey."

Frank felt his stomach knot up. "Jersey, sir?"  
Skiba nodded. "Wentz's team are being sent out tomorrow, to Chicago. Sapporta will be taking his team to New York. I want you boys home."  
Frank nodded, and let his eyes fall on the floor.

"Schechter has completed his training," Skiba continued, running a hand over his hair. "He needs a team, and I'm sending you."

"So," Joel said, stepping forward slightly. "We, uh, head out, and like, uh..." Frank knew Joel was watching him from the corner of his eye.  
"Schechter deploys the water decon and Toro will launch the air decontamination," Skiba nodded. "I want the rest of you on defensive."

The room fell silent again.

Frank was trying really hard to stop his hands from shaking, Mikey's fingers still wrapped tightly around his wrist.

"Urie's team will be near by, back-up." Skiba said, breaking the silence and walking behind his desk once more.

Frank zoned out as Skiba went over the plans, his head swimming, shopping malls, zombies, tattoo stores, art supplies, cinema halls, all dancing through his brain.

"And boys," Skiba said, snapping Frank out of his trance. "Don't...don't get your hopes up, okay?" His eyes fell on Frank and Mikey. "There's a lot of crazy groups out there...just...don't get your hopes up, okay?" He repeated, offering a small, sad smile.

-

Frank was lying awake, staring at the ceiling, when he felt a body climb in beside him, arms wrapping around his waist.  
"Ray's gonna get worried," Frank smirked in the darkness. "His boyfriend, spending more time in my bed than his."  
Mikey huffed out a small laugh, pressing his face against Frank's upper arm.

They were quiet for a while, just listening to their friends breathing across the room.  
"Do you think...do you-" Mikey started, but Frank cut him off.  
"I don't know," he said softly. "I don't...maybe."  
Mikey nodded against his arm, before they fell silent again, waiting for sleep to take them.

\---

Frank didn't like flying. He'd only been in the air three times since they'd joined the camp in Mexico, and two of those times he'd thrown up. Okay, so he guessed that the fact he'd had his inoculation the morning of his first flight might have been the cause of that, but he _hated_ flying.

He was standing i front of the large helicopter, his stomach twisting, when he felt a hand slap off his back.  
"Come on Iero!" Joel laughed, bouncing towards the flying machine. "You Jersey boys are goin' home!"

Frank gave a small smile, before he took a deep breath, and walked slowly into the helicopter.

-

It had been almost two years since they'd made it to Mexico. It hadn't taken as long as Frank thought it would to reach. They left Monroeville Mall a week after...well, a week after, and just kept going.  
There had been a few close counters, swapping abandoned cars each time gas ran out, dodging Lacidites attacking them from all angles.

The camp hadn't been at all what Frank had expected. He'd imagined some kind of concentration style camp, sick people every where, soldier bustling about.  
It wasn't like that at all - the camp was so organised, so proper, that when Frank was asked if he wanted to enlist, he couldn't stop himself from saying 'yes'.  
He'd started his training within a week, along with the rest of his friends, and fell into the routine pretty easily. Which, if he was honest, was what he needed - sure, the nightmares still came at night, but at least he could keep his mind busy during the day.

They never spoke about it, not since they left. They were there for a reason, a reason they would never forget, but it was a silent vow, something they didn't discuss.

When they received their inoculations, Frank had been terrified. It was two days before Brian's eighteenth birthday, which Frank thought was cutting it a bit close.

Frank had spent the night before Brian's birthday sleeping on the floor next to the older boy's bed, hand reached up, intertwined with Brian's, just letting him know he was there.  
When the clock passed midnight, and Brian didn't even feel sick, Frank almost cried. He wasn't sure how he felt - happy they were saved, happy he'd never lose another friend, another person he loved, sad for those already lost.

He repeated the same procedure on Ray's birthday, curled up next to Ray and Mikey, hands all grasped, breathing heavy.  
When the twin's turned eighteen, well, there hadn't been much time for worry, as Frank sat behind Benji, rubbing his back as he hurled into the toilet, having over done it with the moonshine Wentz had spent the night feeding him. Mikey had sat with Joel, a cold compress to his head, a migraine attacking the drunk teen with vengeance.

Frank had known Mikey would find his way next to him as he turned that dreaded age. He hadn't wanted to acknowledge it, had wanted to forget about it, continue with his training, and just get on with life until it was time to go out and spread the antidote.

He didn't know why it had taken so long to release the antidote, but Skiba would constantly say that they needed testing done - sure, they could give you an injection and you were cured, but to administer it to a whole state was a new problem altogether.

So the air and water was pretty much the best bet, and that had been difficult. At last they'd found a solution, and team members were being trained in the right manouvres.

And now they were here, however many feet above ground level, packed into the green and white helicopter, eyes on thier laps as they flew over the base camp that had been thier home for almost twenty-four months.

"Hey," Brian spoke up from under his standard required khaki helmet, patting Frank's knee. "We're all here, okay?"  
Frank sighed. "No, we're not."

-

_"Here's not there," Brian said, stepping up behind Frank._  
"He might be, he could-"  
"He's not," Brian cut him off, putting a hand on Frank's shoulder. "You're sounding just like him, you know..."  
Frank sighed, the twist in his stomach hurting like Hell. If he'd eaten in the past few days, he was sure he'd be throwing up. 

_"They'll look out for each other, right?" Frank's voice wavered.  
Brian gave a small nod, hand slipping down to tug Frank backwards. "They always do, Frankie, they always do..."_

-

Frank startled awake, looking around him, confused for a few seconds, wondering how he'd got from the Mall rooftop to the uncomfortable seats of an army helicopter.  
"Dreams?" Mikey asked from across the way.  
Frank shook his head, rubbing at his eyes. "Memories..."

\---

"Jersey City, population zero," Ray muttered as they climbed out of the 'copter.  
Frank resisted the urge to slap him, eyes on the buildings around him.

It was the same as it always had been, just a bit dustier. Abandoned cars littered the streets, a ghost town.  
Frank turned his head, trying to ignore the splatters of blood here and there, bloodied lumps that Frank didn't want to think about.

"Okay," Brian breathed, dragging his eyes away from what Frank was sure a dismembered arm jutting out from a doorway of a barber store. "Mikey and Joel, you're with me. Toro, Benji and Frank will go with you."  
Frank stared at Brian wide eyed before looking at Mikey, his hands shaking around the AK-44 he was gripping. No matter how long they'd trained, how long they'd practiced, Frank still hated the sight of Mikey with a gun, no matter how good of a shot the kid was.

The helicopter was taking off again, ready to drop Sapporta and his team off in New York, a few miles away. 

They were alone now.

"Lets do this," Benji said, stepping up behind Ray. "The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can..." He trailed off.  
"We can what?" Brian said. "Go home? This is home, Benj."  
Benji sighed and gave a small shrug. "Lets just do this."

Frank stepped up to Mikey, and pulled him close. "Eyes peeled, okay?" He muttered against his ear. "Eyes peeled."  
Mikey made a noise, gripping onto Frank tightly. "Everywhere."

Frank stepped back, and nodded at Brian. "Look after them, okay?"  
Brian cocked his head, the words so familiar to his ears. "You know I will."

Frank nodded, before he punched Joel's shoulder gently.

-

They'd spent months training for this, Frank told himself as they ducked between buildings, they knew what they were doing.  
Though, if he was honest, no matter how long they'd prepared, he was nowhere _near_ ready to be back here.

"Did you hear that?" Benji asked, falling back against a wall.  
"Wha-" Frank was cut off by the sound of gunshots.

Ray and Frank exchanged glances, before they were running, rounding the corner, guns in their hands, sliding to a halt at the sight of three boys stood in a deserted street, circling a body on the ground.  
"Hands in the air," Ray shouted, gun up and aimed. "United States Decontamination Unit."

The three men turned, eyes wide, slowly raising their arms.  
"Drop the gun," Frank called, aiming at a blonde man with a hand gun in his grasp.

"Okay," the blonde said, dropping the gun to the ground. "We're not zombies..."  
"Lacidites," Frank corrected, stepping forward cautiously.

The three men looked at him strangely.  
"What are you doing?" Benji asked, stepping up next to Frank.

Frank's eyes were on the body on the ground. It was a Lacidite, of course, eyes black with a red residue around the edges, skin pale, fingers scratched up from clawing, clothes blood stained.  
"You can't just go around shooting them!" Frank said, voice heated.

The blonde gave him a strange look. "They're zombies man, we were just-"  
"This isn't fucking Dawn of the Dead!" Frank sniped, dropping his gun to his side, stepping up in front of the man. "They're fucking human beings."

The blonde gave a laugh. "Have you seen what these fuckers can do?"  
Frank was almost pressed chest to chest with him. "Yeah, I have, I fucking _lived_ through it, and it's about to be fucking over, and you're fucking killing them."

"This'll never be over," one of the other boys said. "It's been going on too long, it's-"  
"I turned eighteen last week," Frank said, and watched as each boy's eyes widened.  
"That's impossible," the blonde said. "My brother, I saw him-"  
"Yeah, I saw plenty of people change too," Frank gritted his teeth. "There's a cure, and you're just going around killing people."

A silence fell over them, Benji and Ray shooting glances at each other as Frank stared darkly at the blonde boy.  
"Whatever," the blonde said eventually. "If they come at me, I'll take their heads off."

"Okay," Frank said darkly. "And if I see you do that, I'll take yours."

-

"Fucking assholes!" Frank was still ranting as they walked. "Fucking, we're trying to fucking save...assholes!"  
Benji was nodding, shooting worried glances at Ray.  
"I'll fucking kill them, I will," Frank grunted, rounding a corner before freezing.

"Frank? What's-" Benji cut himself off, staring up at the large building looming over them.  
Frank could hear Ray gulp behind him.

"Looks the same," Frank said in a quiet voice.  
"Yeah," Benji breathed. 

Really, Frank knew two years away from the mall wouldn't have made much of a difference. There weren't as many Lacidites roaming around the gates as he remembered. Sure, that could have been for the fact there was no human scent to keep them there any longer.

"That's where we're going," Ray cleared his throat. "Best ventilation service in the whole of Jersey."  
Frank nodded silently, gripping onto his gun tightly. "Lets go."

They moved quickly, behind cars, alley ways, until they were at the back entrance, pushed up against the wire fences Frank knew so well.  
"Where'd you get that?!" Benji was saying, catching Frank's attention.

He turned to look at Ray, who was fumbling with a key on a chain around his neck.  
"Is that...?"

Ray nodded. "Knew we'd be coming back, didn't we?"

Frank almost smiled at that, but was distracted by a red haired Lacidite launching itself at them.

"Hurry Ray!" Frank yelled, dodging out of the way as the Lacidite crashed into the fence.

Benji was aiming his gun, eyes shifting from the red head to Frank, knowing exactly what Frank would say (or do) if he actually _shot_ it.

"GOT IT!" Ray yelled, pushing the gate open.

Frank gave the Lacidite a shove as it came for him, and dodged around towards Benji, falling in the gate before Ray locked the gate behind them.

When Frank got to his feet, there were more Lacidites thrashing against the gate, blood foaming mouths.  
"I don't remember them being this violent," Benji said, eyes shifting across the faces.

Frank nodded and sucked in a breath. "They're hungry."

Ray gulped, before he nudged Frank's arm. "Lets go."

With a last glance at the thrashing creatures, Frank nodded, and following Ray and Benji towards the back entrance.

\---

 _"Any luck?"_  
"We're in the mall," Ray stated over the walkie-talkie.  
_"How does it smell?"_  
Frank shot a strange look at Ray.

"Uh...fine, I guess?"  
_"Good,"_ Mikey sighed. _"Because these sewers smell like fucking shit."_  
Frank couldn't help but laugh as he heard Brian tell Mikey to stop whining.

"Check in when you're done, okay?" Ray said.  
_"Will do. Uh, have you..."_  
"No," Frank said, leaning in towards Ray's hand. "We haven't seen them."

There was an intake of breath across the channel, before Mikey said, _"Okay. We'll check in soon. Love you."_

Ray blushed slightly, muttering, "Love you too" over the channel before fixing the walkie-talkie onto his belt.

It was strange, walking through the mall. They'd disconnected the electricity when they'd left, leaving the place in darkness. The air seemed dense, heavy in Frank's lungs as they made their way towards the abandoned food court.

Frank heard Benji make a strangled sound as they passed the counter, a ripped, dusty black shirt lying on the floor.  
"Is that Joel's?" Frank almost laughed.

"Yeah," Benji smiled. "I told him he'd left it."

They kept walking, eyes darting around the strange yet familiar surroundings.

"You know," Frank said, in step with Ray. "You and Mikey...you don't need to hide from me."  
"What?" Ray said, glancing around.  
Frank sighed. "I know you try to...like...not be...in front of me...you don't have to do that, you know."  
Ray pulled his helmet from his head, freeing his hair.

"I know, Frankie, it's just...I just..."  
"It won't upset me, okay? I just...you make Mikey happy, and that makes me happy. That's all that matters, right?"

"Uh, guys?" 

Frank and Ray looked up, to see Benji stood by the basement door, reading **Staff Only**

Frank turned to look at Ray. "Ready?"

-

It was easy enough, really, Frank thought as he leaned against the wall, watching Ray pull several small vials from his various pockets. He supposed not every team had it as lucky as them - the mall was the easiest place to get into, for them at least, the easiest way into the air.  
"You know what you're doing?" Benji asked Ray for the fifteenth time.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, shithead."  
"Okay, okay..." Benji sighed.

"They're okay," Frank said, meeting Benji's eyes. "Brian's got them, okay?"

Benji nodded. Frank could tell the twin wasn't feeling so comfortable without his brother by his side.

"Done," Ray said, getting to his feet, stepping away from the mess of pipes that Frank had no clue around.  
"Done?" Frank and Benji said in unison.

Ray nodded. "Now, we wait."

 

They were walking back through the mall, the lights now shining from each store front, when Ray asked, "Where do we go? To wait."  
Frank closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I know where."

-

He still hated that fucking roof. 

"Why are we up here?" Benji asked, voice nervous. "I thought you hated it up here."  
"I do," Frank sighed, leaning over the edge, eyeing the mass of Lacidites on the ground below.

"Frank," Ray said quietly. "We might not-"  
"I know," Frank snapped. "I know, he's not out there, okay? I know."

They sat in silence, legs dangling over the edge, when a shot rang out.

"Fuckers," Frank growled, climbing to his feet, watching as an old, spray painted car zoomed into sight, knocking several of the infected people to the ground with bone crunching sounds that made Frank's stomach twist.

"I'll kill them."

"Frank!" Ray yelled, picking up his helmet and rifle as he and Benji ran after Frank, moving at an incredible pace, down the stairs, through the mall, and out the back door.

"Shit," Benji hissed as Frank led them out into the parking lot.

"Give me the key," Frank said.  
"Frank, I don't-"  
"Give me the fucking key Toro."

Ray glanced at Benji, before sighing, pulling the key from around his neck. "You're gonna get us killed," he breathed.

Frank ignored him, glancing down at the rocks and boulders on the other side of the fence, recalling a time when an angry voice had warned him off from hitting the Lacidites.  
_"They're just like us, Frankie, it's not thier fault..." The voice said, circling arms around Frank's fifteen year old frame._

"It's not their fault," Frank said through gritted teeth, fighting with the lock. "A few more hours...they'll be human again..."

The gate swung open just as the spray painted car came to halt, the three boys from earlier filing out, guns in their hands, aiming and taking shots in random directions.

Frank was quite sure at that moment he was insane - he was avoiding the Lacidites attacking him, hands clawing, mouths gnashing, and trying to aim for the fuckers with the guns.

He could hear Benji and Ray scuffling, yelling and cursing, before he reached the blonde one, who had just rung out a shot, hitting off a dark haired Lacidite's shoulder, causing it to fall to the ground.

"They're fucking dead," he yelled as Frank got closer. "They're fucking gone man, I don't see why you care!"  
"Because they'll be fucking human in a few hours, you fucking-"

Frank froze at the guttural sound the Lacidite on the ground was making, letting his eyes drift from the blonde to the squirming creature on the ground. The blonde had hit it in the shoulder, where a dark shade of red was leaking down against its matted and dirty jean jacket.

Frank could feel his stomach tense up, before he heard Ray call his name. He glanced around to see Ray's face, paler than usual, staring at him.  
He turned back to the blonde, pulling his standard issue hand gun from his holster and aiming directly for the side of his head.

"Hurt him, and I'll end your life," Frank breathed, heart thumping painfully in his chest. "I swear to fucking God, I will shoot you down, and feed you to them my-fucking-self."

The creature on the ground writhed around, the noise breaking what was left of Frank's heart.

"Quinn," one of the other boys called, stumbling away from Benji, nose bloody and lip split. "Just fucking leave it...lets go!"

The blonde, Quinn, stared back at Frank, eyes wide. "Dude...they're just zombies..."  
"NO HE'S NOT!" Frank practically yelled. "If you don't get the fuck back in your car, I swear to God, I'll shoot you right now."

Within seconds, Quinn was being pulled towards his car, eyes still on Frank, questioning.

"Frankie," Ray said, stepping up behind him. "We have to get out of here. There's more coming."

Frank looked up to see ten, twenty more Lacidites advancing on them slowly. He let his eyes drift back down to the one on the ground twisted around, making painful sharp noises that penetrated Frank's skin.

"He's coming with us." He said simply, holstering his gun, reaching for a pair of cuffs in his back pocket.  
"Frank, that's impossible, we can't-"  
"You wanna tell Mikey you left his fucking brother out here to bleed to death?" Frank snapped.

Ray stared at him, eyes wide, before he shook his head. "Okay, Frankie..." He said in a low voice.

Between the two of them (Benji throwing smoke bombs in the direction of the advancing Lacidites), they managed to force the writhing creature onto it's front, cuffing his hands behind his back, before dragging him to his feet, the painful shrieking reverberating through them.

"Lets go," Frank said, shoving the Lacidite forward towards the gates. "We'll wait it out inside."

\---

_"Frankie?"_

Frank glanced down at the walkie-talkie Ray had just thrust in front of him. Sighing he took it in his hand. "Hey Mikes."  
_"Is it? Is it him?"_

Frank looked across at the bed store where they'd locked the screeching Lacidite inside, kneeling at the window, arms still cuffed behind his back, watching Frank with curiosity.  
"Yeah, it's him," Frank said quietly.  
There was a deep breath over the line. _"Is he okay?"_ Mikey asked eventually.  
"I think so...those assholes shot him, but I think he's okay..."

 _"We're on our way, we're just passing Newark,"_ Mikey said. _"Just...keep calm, okay? I'm on my way."_  
Frank smiled. "Yeah, okay."

-

"You shouldn't do this," Benji said, sitting down next to Frank. "You're just hurting yourself, you know?"  
Frank shook his head. "I'm just waiting. I'm just...Mikey's on his way..."  
"I know dude, but...we don't know how long it's gonna take..."  
"Well I'll wait." He turned to look at Benji. "He's the reason I came back, Benj. He's the reason we did this. I can't...I need to be here when he comes back."

Benji bit his lip, and nodded, settling back, closing his eyes as Frank stared over at the glass, blank, black eyes staring back.

-

It wasn't long before Frank felt an arm wrap around his waist.  
"Hey," he said as Mikey settled next to him. "How'd it go?"  
"Fine," Mikey's voice was shaking, eyes on the creature staring back at them. "Did you see..."  
"No," Frank said. "Just him."

Mikey nodded. "How long has it been?"  
"About six hours," Benji said from his spot on the floor. Joel was climbing down beside his twin, their hands grasping at one another discreetly, just to reassure each other.

"Skiba said it can take up to forty-eight hours," Brian said, coming to sit next to them, just by Ray. "We could be waiting a while."

"I'll wait," Frank said, just as Mikey slipped a hand in his. "I can wait."

\---

It was around the twenty fifth hour that the noises started. Frank had been somewhere between sleep and consciousness, his head lolling on Mikey's shoulder, when he startled up, eyes on the writhing creature in the window.

He was on his back, clutching at his stomach, screeching so sharp Frank was surprised the windows weren't cracking.

"Frank!" Brian yelled as Frank ran for the shutters yanking them up. Frank ignored the yelling, throwing himself inside the store at the squirming Lacidite.

"Hey," Frank said, throwing himself down to his knees, grabbing at him. "Hey, it's me..."

The Lacidite arched his back, a shattering scream erupting from it's throat as Frank dragged him up to his lap, not caring about the clawing at his arms, the blood being drawn.

"Please," Frank said, perfectly aware that he was crying. "It's me...please...Gee...I'm here..."

Ray was holding onto Mikey, stood in the doorway, trying to run at Frank and Gerard. "No," Ray was saying, tightening his grip. "Frank's got him Mikey, it's okay..."

After a few minutes of thrashing, Gerard started to slow down his movements, his breathing erratic. His screeching was dying down, turning into sobs, blood tears dripping down his cheeks, small whimpering sounds escaping his lips.  
"I'm here," Frank said, gripping him tighter, his voice shaking, his own cheeks soaked. "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here," he chanted.

He could hear Mikey sobbing, but he couldn't look back, his eyes on the man in his lap.

"Uh," Gerard whimpered, hands clutching at Frank's arms, blooded and ruined. His back arched again as he let out a cry, before opening his eyes.

That was what stopped Frank's heart, looking into those hazel green eyes he'd missed so fucking much.  
"Gee," Frank sobbed, holding him closer. "Gee, it's me..."

After a few moments, Gerard stopped moving so harshly, his convulsions becoming miniscule, hands slacking on Frank's arms.

"Frankie..." He muttered, a hand reaching up to Frank's cheek.  
Frank let out a huge sob. "I'm here baby, I'm here..."

In a matter of nano-seconds, Mikey was at their side, grabbing onto his older brother, shaking and crying.  
Frank glanced towards the rest of thier small group. The twins were stood quietly, hands grasped, as Brian patted Ray's back.

"What's..." Gerard was dazed, little jolts running through his body every few seconds. "I don't...where..."  
"Shhhh," Mikey whispered, running a hand down Gerard's cheek. "You're okay...it's okay..."

-

Gerard had been throwing up for almost half an hour in the small public toilet.  
"It's the shit he's been eating," Brian said casually from the doorway where he was stood, watching Frank and Mikey rub at Gerard's back. "His body's rejecting it."

"Could you not?" Frank snapped. "We really don't wanna think about that, thanks..."  
Brian shook his head and gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I guess..."

Gerard leaned back on his heels slightly, his whole body shaking. "I don't...how can there be so much..." He leaned over and vomited again.  
"Because you're a greedy bastard," came a voice from the doorway. 

Frank's head shot 'round to stare at the blood soaked blonde standing in the doorway next to Brian, who's face had paled in a sickly way.  
"Bryar," Frank said, getting to his feet.  
"One and only," Bob smiled crookedly, before grunting as Frank threw himself at him, wrapping his scratched arms around him with a death grip.

"Fuck, Iero," Bob muttered, pushing at Frank. "You been working out?"  
"A little," Frank chuckled, stepping back slightly, wiping at his face.

"Aw fuck no," Bob groaned, leaning back against the wall. "Please, I just had dumb and dumber sissying out on me five minutes ago, no more fucking tears, please."  
Frank could see the twins standing with Ray, wiping at thier eyes, stupid smiles on thier faces.

"Fuck you Bryar," came a call from Gerard, sitting back on his heels again, wiping at his mouth with the back of his sleeve, before looking down at the dried blood on the denim in disgust.  
"I need a shower," he whined.

-

Frank was sat in the tattoo store, on top of a dusty mattress in the centre of the floor. He was crushing dried up rose petals in his fingers, when a voice from the doorway took him out of his thoughts.

"Two years, huh?"

Frank looked up to see Gerard leaning against the door frame, his hair wet and matted against his forehead. The bloody clothes were gone, replaced by light grey sweat pants and a black t-shirt.  
"Yeah," Frank breathed out, his stomach twisting in his stomach.

Gerard nodded, biting his lip, shuffling into the room.

"Frank, I-"  
"Can we not?" Frank squinted up at him. "I just..."

Gerard slowly sat down on the mattress, a few inches from Frank, eyes on his face.

"I've spent the past two years, just...just wanting you back...I need to...get my head around his, okay?"

Gerard nodded, hands dancing along the mattress.

"Did you remember me?" Frank asked suddenly.  
Gerard stared at him, eyes dragging along Frank's face. "No," he answered honestly. "I didn't remember anything."

Frank nodded, and stared at his hands in his lap.

"I mean...it was just so black," Gerard continued, shifting a little closer, legs folded. "It's like...it's like I was asleep, for a really long time. All I remember is leaving, and then waking up to you."  
Frank nodded again, tears stinging in the corner of his eyes.

"It's weird," Gerard said, breathing heavily, as though it was alien. "I'm twenty years old, and I didn't even know." He gave a small laugh.

"I turned eighteen last week," Frank said quietly, hands twisting in his lap.  
"Yeah?" Gerard said.  
Frank nodded. "It was weird. Seventeen was fine, but eighteen...it didn't seem right."

Frank looked up, meeting Gerard's eyes. "It didn't seem fair. That I got to turn eighteen."  
Gerard bit his lip and shook his head. "No, you deserved it, more than anyone Frankie."

Frank took a shaky breath, before he reached out a quivering hand, cupping Gerard's cheek softly. "I don't know if you're here. I feel like you're not." A tear fell down his cheek, betraying him.  
"I'm here," Gerard smiled, before he grimaced. "My stomach is killing me, but I'm here."

Frank nodded, bringing his hand back.

They were silent for a short while, not even looking at each other, glancing around the old tattoo shop.

"I did what you asked," Frank said suddenly, his voice low.  
"What?"  
"What you asked me," Frank said, wiping at his cheeks. "I didn't...I stayed true. I didn't...I just..."

"Oh, Frankie," Gerard said, shuffling closer, slowly taking Frank's face in his hands. "I didn't-"  
"I didn't want anyone" Frank said, tears flowing freely now. "I just wanted you back. I done it all for you, I didn't...I needed you..."

Gerard rested his forehead against Frank's, eyes closed. "Frank, you shouldn't have put your life on hold for me."  
Frank gave a small laugh. "If I hadn't, I probably would have turned too."  
"Good point," Gerard smiled, opening his eyes, staring into Frank's.

"Kiss me," Frank whispered.  
"What?" Gerard asked, voice so low Frank almost didn't heard him.  
"Please, just kiss me," Frank sobbed. "I just...please..."

Gerard pushed his lips to Frank's, so soft and gentle, his fingers resting in Frank's hair, scratching his scalp lightly.

When they pulled apart a few seconds later, Frank fisted his hands in Gerard's shirt. "Just...just stay with me, okay?"  
Gerard smiled, pulling Frank to lie on the mattress. "I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
